1. Projecting the Playoffs, The Case for Kotchman

    MLB: Angels v Rangers September 26, 2007" width="234" height="351" /> Projecting the Playoffs With just 20 games remaining in the regular season, the Sox' Hunt for Red October is getting stronger by the day...

    Evan Brunell Written by Evan Brunell about over 3 years ago 6 reads 0 comments

  2. Red Sox's Road Record Cautions Playoff Success

    With Sunday's extension of the Wild Card lead to four games on the back of a doubleheader sweep (Jon Lester is the beast of all beasts), Boston's entrance into the playoffs as the Wild Card winner is all but assured...

    Evan Brunell Written by Evan Brunell about over 3 years ago 15 reads 0 comments

  3. Jays turned down Sox's 6-for-1 offer on Halladay

    I'm on the Rotoworld.com beat, and this just came across my desk:Bob Elliot of the Toronto Sun reports that the Red Sox offered the Blue Jays six pitchers for Roy Halladay at the trading deadline...

    Evan Brunell Written by Evan Brunell about over 3 years ago 12 reads 0 comments

  4. Getting to know Sox first-round pick Reymond Fuentes

    If blood lines mean anything, the Red Sox may have hit a home run when they made center fielder Reymond Fuentes their first-round pick (28th overall)...

    Evan Brunell Written by Evan Brunell about over 3 years ago 17 reads 0 comments

  5. Tazawa Slated for Tuesday Start

    Evan: Please welcome Mike Silver to the Fire Brand writing crew! Tim Daloisio is going to be stepping down from writing articles for Fire Brand...

    Evan Brunell Written by Evan Brunell about almost 4 years ago 11 reads 1 comments

  6. Boston Red Sox 6.5 Behind Yankees: Defending Theo's Offseason

    The Red Sox are where they are. Six and a half games out of first place, with the division seemingly wrapped up, at least according to the statheads. And I include myself in that group...

    Evan Brunell Written by Evan Brunell about almost 4 years ago 8 reads 0 comments

  7. Fernando Cabrera tears it up with PawSox, awaits call

    Will the real Fernando Cabrera please stand up? Is it the Cabrera, who from 2006-08, posted a minor league ERA of 1.12? Or is it the Cabrera who, during the same period, had a major league ERA of 5...

    Evan Brunell Written by Evan Brunell about almost 4 years ago 109 reads 1 comments

  8. PawSox manager on Buchholz: 'He'll be fine'

    The Red Sox were gracious enough to issue me a press pass for the Pawtucket/Norfolk game at Fenway Park today. I barely made it into my seat for the first pitch thanks to some heavy traffic on the Pike...

    Evan Brunell Written by Evan Brunell about almost 4 years ago 5 reads 0 comments

  9. Is the Boston Red Sox Starting Rotation an Unaddressed Fatal Flaw?

    When the 2009 season began, there was very little doubt in anyone's mind that the Red Sox had both the depth and talent in the starting rotation for it to be considered, not only the teams' primary ...

    Evan Brunell Written by Evan Brunell about almost 4 years ago 169 reads 1 comments

  10. Q+A with Top 3B Prospect Will Middlebrooks

    Will Middlebrooks is currently ranked the 25th best prospect in the Red Sox farm system. 20 years old, Middlebrooks is currently in Mid-A Greenville, hitting for a .265/.343/.424 line...

    Evan Brunell Written by Evan Brunell about almost 4 years ago 32 reads 0 comments

  11. Ellsbury showing critics (me) why he should be batting leadoff.

    This is why we write blogs--to inspire people, players. And since I wrote that blog questioning whether or not we as fans felt that Jacoby Ellsbury was worthy of leading off, he has gone on an absolute tear...

    Evan Brunell Written by Evan Brunell about almost 4 years ago 2 reads 0 comments

  12. Theo Epstein 'Burning Midnight Oil': MLB Trade Watch

    Tom Werner says that Theo Epstein is "burning the midnight oil" for an impact trade. The article specifically mentions Roy Halladay and Victor Martinez. Is there no middle ground for Victor Martinez? As NESN...

    Evan Brunell Written by Evan Brunell about almost 4 years ago 181 reads 0 comments

  13. John Smoltz: What Should the Red Sox Do with Him?

    There are several options that the Red Sox have when dealing with John Smoltz. But, when he is pitching, they seem to be giving away games. So, those options need to be explored. But, don't panic...

    Evan Brunell Written by Evan Brunell about almost 4 years ago 16 reads 0 comments

  14. Michael Bowden Recovers Dominance with the Red Sox

    Over his last two starts, we have seen the Michael Bowden that the Boston Red Sox have come to know and love;the Michael Bowden that earlier this season dominated International League batters and the pitcher Baseball America rated the No...

    Evan Brunell Written by Evan Brunell about almost 4 years ago 44 reads 1 comments

  15. Are we comfortable with Ellsbury leading off?

    Ops+ 83. That is Ellsbury's Adjusted OPS. Far from a perfect metric, but serves the purpose. But even with that, I know that the most at bats on the team should probably not go to to an OPS+ of 83...

    Evan Brunell Written by Evan Brunell about almost 4 years ago 3 reads 0 comments

  16. Red Sox Trade Lugo to Cardinals for Duncan

    UPDATE: The Sox got a player to be named later too!? Wow. The Red Sox are trading shortstop Julio Lugo to the St. Louis Cardinals for Chris Duncan, Cardinals beat reporter Bernie Miklasz is reporting...

    Evan Brunell Written by Evan Brunell about almost 4 years ago 6 reads 0 comments

  17. Epstein and Gammons on LaRoche trade

    Theo Epstein was on a conference call today, and Extra Bases dishes by saying the LaRoche deal had been in the works for months and was not a knee-jerk reaction to the recent offensive struggles...

    Evan Brunell Written by Evan Brunell about almost 4 years ago 17 reads 0 comments

  18. Jeff Bailey Likely To Hit Disabled List

    Yesterday, first baseman Jeff Bailey suffered a high-ankle strain trying to make a play on Brad Penny's acrobatic flip to first base Saturday. He's likely to hit the disabled list, a loss, given that the Sox are about to face two left-handed pitchers...

    Evan Brunell Written by Evan Brunell about almost 4 years ago 23 reads 0 comments

  19. Mark Wagner Shrugs off Disappointing 2008 Season

    Wagner - TJ Perrini Catcher Mark Wagner could have done a verbal tap dance and made numerous excuses for his drop-off at the plate last season with the Portland Sea Dogs...

    Evan Brunell Written by Evan Brunell about almost 4 years ago 29 reads 0 comments

  20. Bill Simmons on David Ortiz and Boston's Support

    I love Bill Simmons. He's one of my favorite writers on the planet. Unfortunately, he rarely talks about the Red Sox. He's a Celtics/basketball guy who writes football on the side...

    Evan Brunell Written by Evan Brunell about almost 4 years ago 172 reads 1 comments

  21. Defensive "Deficiency": The Red Sox D Ain't What It Used to Be

    According to Baseball Prospectus' defensive efficiency metric—which measures how often balls in play are turned into outs—the Red Sox just aren't getting the job done...

    Evan Brunell Written by Evan Brunell about almost 4 years ago 20 reads 0 comments

  22. Cherry on top: Rocky works on scoreless streak

    When Daniel Bard was called up from Pawtucket to Boston on May 10, it left a hole the size of the Grand Canyon in the PawSox' bullpen. Enter Rocky Cherry. Rocky who? Right...

    Evan Brunell Written by Evan Brunell about almost 4 years ago 6 reads 0 comments

  23. Jason Varitek is mashing

    Did anyone expect this kind of performance thus far out of Jason Varitek? If so, admit it. Because you would, from here on out, be labeled a genius. Tek's BB's per nine are down (bad?), the K's 9 are down (good)...

    Evan Brunell Written by Evan Brunell about almost 4 years ago 6 reads 0 comments

  24. New Mechanics, Reliance on Slider Hurting Jonathan Papelbon

    There's been no shortage of events this season that have taken us by surprise. David Ortiz, of course, is the big one...

    Evan Brunell Written by Evan Brunell about almost 4 years ago 145 reads 0 comments

  25. Fangraphs Address David Ortiz

    Not that we couldn't have done this ourselves, but it is interesting to hear another take on a player that we watch every day. And Fangraphs weighs in on Ortiz. Stay confident, although skeptical that Ortiz can regain any resemblance of his past form..

    Evan Brunell Written by Evan Brunell about almost 4 years ago 62 reads 0 comments